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One of the great things about being a global company is being able to engage with employees across six continents. Learning from, working with, and meeting colleagues located on different continents is a valuable asset in developing your professional career¡ªand to be part of something more. At Â鶹´«Ã½, we developed the Developing Professional Group (DPG) to give employees a chance to meet their colleagues and really be part of our global organization.

DPGs are open to any employee in the organization, from management to administration. With local chapters around the entire Company, DPGs operate on four main pillars:

1. Connect to their peers.
2. Connect to leadership.
3. Connect to professional development opportunities.
4. Connect with our communities.

Sharing our Â鶹´«Ã½ spirit is a year-round venture, and within our DPGs, employees have gotten together to volunteer out in the community. Here are some examples of the work they¡¯ve done:

Minnesota, USA

Members from both Minneapolis and St. Cloud volunteered two hours of their time to clean up St. Cloud¡¯s Beaver Island Trail. From 2013 to 2016, Â鶹´«Ã½ provided engineering and landscaping services for this trail. Â鶹´«Ã½ contributed to the 1,800-foot extension of Beaver Island Trail which connects to hundreds of miles of regional trail and follows along the Mississippi River. This offers beautiful views of the water and adjacent downtown St. Cloud.

British Columbia, Canada

The Burnaby DPG group participated in the World Vision Global 6k for Water event early June. It was a great way to get to know the group members and contribute to a great cause. Through generous donations, including Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s donation through our Dollars for Doers program, they exceeded their goal and raised over $1,300 for World Vision¡¯s water programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, they built essential water infrastructure for local communities, and support community education.??

Delft and Arnhem, Netherlands

The? Netherlands DPG committed their time to the Red Cross to help people in disaster areas. Together with volunteers, the Red Cross regularly organizes a Mapathon to collect as much data as possible in areas that are prone to tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions. The goal is to map out as many roads, houses, and bridges that have been destroyed¡ªthis helps the Red Cross to provide assistance in these areas. 19 employees in the Delf and Arnhem offices joined the Mapathon team to map out vulnerable municipalities in Mali, Africa.

United Arab Emirates

The DPGs in the UAE came together to initiate a blood drive. During the drive, DPGs were given tasks¡ªcollecting information at the registration desk, guiding donators to the allocated areas and offering volunteers fruit and drinks post donation. The event was very successful, with hundreds of participants from different companies showing up to donate.

China

On Arbour Day, the DPG members contacted the neighbourhood representative of the Chongming district of Shanghai to apply for a volunteer opportunity planting trees. 13 DPG members came together and planted 20 trees, including orange and peach trees.

Australia

The DPG at Â鶹´«Ã½ Melbourne organized a volunteer day where they spent an hour cleaning up Enterprize Park, which is home to a culturally significant site called the Scar Project. This was in relation to Clean Up Australia Day, which was established 30 years ago and is still going strong. They collected six bags full of rubbish, preventing it from ending up in the Yarra River, which flows through the heart of Melbourne.

New Zealand

In Wellington, members of the DPG participated in the annual Matiu-Somes Island Volunteer Day, which involves weeding, track clearing, and general island maintenance. The Island is a scientific and historic reserve; thanks to the dedication of numerous volunteers, the island remains a refuge for wildlife and the Maori cultural heritage.

Argentina

The DPG in Â鶹´«Ã½ Argentina volunteers annually with the Food Bank, where food is donated to thousands of people. The volunteers spent their time sorting foods that have been donated by different companies and supermarkets. This year, the DPG donated of 40 litres of milk and organized 1,100 kilograms of food.?